2000 Subaru Impreza WRX 2.0 turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Faults:

Wear to driver's seat is worst I've ever seen in a car. This is strange as previous owner and I are both under 10 stone!

Clutch doesn't inspire confidence - it's an all-or-nothing affair.

Otherwise, okay, reliability wise.

General Comments:

Buying this car was a big blunder. I thought it would be quicker than my previous Evo 6, but compared to that car this one is a bit timid. Admittedly, it looks better than the Evo, but it is a fair bit slower.

I've driven other people's WRX's and so I know that this docility is not confined to my car. Even after £1500 worth of bolt-on goodies these cars can't touch the Evo 6. These scoobs just don't float my boat. I'm currently looking for another Evo, maybe a 7 this time.

My advice to scoob owners is to never test-drive an Evo. You will realize how poor your scoob really is.

Pity, really. The scoobs really look the part. But they don't go as quick as they look.

2000 Subaru Impreza Turbo 2.0L turbo petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Have to own one once in your life!

Faults:

Persistent Rattles from Dashboard.

Tire wear very heavy.

Intermittent problem with the clutch, gets very stiff from time to time.

General Comments:

Hard to describe the traction as you pull out of a corner, it is exhilarating and so different from any front wheel drive car I have driven. I have taken a 911 turbo out for a spin and doesn't feel that far behind it for outright pace.

The car is amazingly quick particularly from 3000 rpm to about 5500 rpm, after that it is still quick, but feels like it just creates more noise. What a wonderful sound the turbo gives spinning away!

Only 16,000 miles on it and is spotless. Find that tyre wear is bad and uneven on the rear tires given the nature of the differential on the car.

Very expensive to run here in Ireland. Insurance is through the roof, along with road tax, petrol and tyres. And they have just introduced a penal points system which means I could lose my license after a couple of trips into the country.

2000 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 from North America

Summary:

A rickety pile of bolts

Faults:

There have been 5 transmission failures.

First failure began at 9 thousand miles.

At 38,000 miles I had to purchase a new transmission. Subaru refused to warranty the transmission even though there were 4 prior failures, and the car was well within the 60k mile power train warranty.

General Comments:

Subaru has given me different reasons why the would not warranty the vehicle. The first is that the car had mud on it. Secondly, they said that the car was put in reverse while moving forward. As this was not the case I complained to the dealer about the reasoning. The chief mechanic stated that the Impreza has a reverse lock out and cannot be put into reverse while moving forward. Lastly, they said the car would not be warranted as I had an Exedy clutch installed. This is a stock replacement clutch that was made by the original supplier of Subaru clutches. I have contacted Exedy, and they stated that their clutch would not cause a transmission to break. Also, keep in mind that the original failure happened at 9k miles, long before I had a clutch installed.

Now with only 50 miles on the new transmission, I am getting a loud clattering from inside the transmission. A new transmission is down, and I have been without my vehicle for a total of two months, spending close to $4,000. I cannot afford to keep this vehicle, and I should have never bought it.

29th Oct 2002, 10:12

WRX respondent above is a Subaru shill. I drive a WRX as well, and overall, it's a piece of crap. Fortunately it's a compensatory vehicle. It's great fun to drive, but I wouldn't spend money on it. By the way, I'm a mechanical engineer, a certified master mechanic, and a former IMSA GTO/GTU licensee. I know how to shift. The transmission is crap. It'll last forever if you drive like it's made of glass. However, if you drive it like a sports car, which it is marketed as, it will fail. The drivetrain is just wannabe Porsche, but without Porsche reliability. They even copied the Porsche/VW pull clutch. The most prevalent failures are Subaru's build quality and refusal to stand behind their product.

16th Aug 2007, 23:51

I have a friend with an early WRX 2.0 and they have poured unreasonable amounts of money into it. Granted, they do drive it to its full capacity, but these cars are sold on the basis that they can be driven this way all the time. Well, it seems that, much like a Honda, these cars are great UNTIL they break and then it is going to be a weird experience. The AWD system is terrific, but it does add quite a bit of complexity to the car and the boxer engine looks somewhat intimidating to work on, what with all of the turbo equipment in the way. My friend has replaced differentials, at least one tranny, and they have had the engine start to smoke, badly. Nice car, but definitely for someone who does not mind working on their car somewhat frequently.